Free Taking Catie: The Temptation Saga: Book Three by Helen Hardt Page A

He shook his head slowly. He sure couldn’t help her see that if he was sleeping with her.
    Yep, it had to stop.
    Goddamn it.
    Raspberries were his favorite fruit.
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    W hen Chad didn’t return within the hour, Catie called her sister, Angie, to pick her up.
    Angie, the gossip of all gossips, flooded her with questions of why her baby sister was at Chad McCray’s house. Catie fended off the inquiries as best she could. They’d gone riding. It had been late, and they were closer to his house. She’d stayed in one of his guest rooms.
    Luckily, it didn’t occur to her sister to ask why she wasn’t riding Ladybird home. She didn’t want to talk about this to Angie or to anyone. Not now. Not ever. She was too busy ruminating about the torn condom.
    What would happen? Chad didn’t want to get married. If he didn’t want to get married, he sure didn’t want kids.
    Now sitting back in her bedroom, Catie’s tummy tumbled and threatened to empty, even though she hadn’t eaten since the party. Her mind was a whirl of conflicting thoughts. A baby? She wasn’t sure she was ready for a baby. But a sweet little boy or girl who looked just like his handsome daddy? Oh, she could make do.
    But Chad? What would Chad say? Would he marry her? Would he want to? Would he want the baby? She choked back a sob. She might be alone in this. She would never abandon her baby, but could she raise a child alone? Women did it every day. She was certainly as capable as anyone else.
    She forced her thoughts to the back of her mind. This was all purely speculation. Not everyone who had unprotected sex got pregnant. Couples all over the world spent all kinds of time and money trying to get pregnant. Chances were good that nothing would happen. What were the statistics? Like eleven percent chance of pregnancy from one unprotected encounter? Still pretty good odds. And the condom might have ripped when Chad took it off.
    There, she felt better. Nothing to worry about. At least not yet.
    For now, she had a rodeo queen competition to win.
    “Angie!” she called.
    Her sister arrived, breathless. “Yeah? I was just on my way out.”
    “I’m entering the rodeo queen thing.”
    “You?”
    “Yeah, me. What’s your problem?”
    Angie, who was Chad’s age, had been crowned rodeo queen fourteen years earlier, at the ripe age of eighteen. Bakersville’s youngest rodeo queen ever.
    “Aren’t you too old?”
    “Nope. Not too old. And you’re gonna help me win.”
    “If this is just a ploy to get Chad McCray to notice you, I want no part of it.”
    Damn. Was she that transparent?
    “I can ride circles around you, and you won.”
    “There’s more to it than just riding, and you know it. You’ll need to dress the part. You’ll actually have to wear makeup, little tomboy.”
    “I wore make up last night, didn’t I?”
    “Barely.”
    “Just ’cause I don’t apply it with a putty knife—”
    “Uh, little sis, if you want my help, I’d stop with the insults.”
    “Yeah, yeah.” Catie nodded. “You’re right. Okay.” She grinned. “You have to help me, Angie. I need you. I intend to win this stupid thing.”
    “That’s just my point, Catie. If you think it’s a stupid thing, you have no business entering.”
    “You’re right,” Catie agreed. “It’s worthy, actually. It showcases the equestrian talents of Bakersville’s young women, right?”
    “Yes, among other things.”
    “Like?”
    “Poise, intelligence, beauty, to name a few.”
    “I’ve got those.”
    “I’ll give you beauty and intelligence, Cate, but poise? Sweetie, you trip over your own two feet.”
    Catie cringed. She hadn’t thought of her perpetual clumsiness. “Well, I’ll have to get over that, won’t I? Besides, no one can beat me on horseback. Isn’t that most of what this competition is about?”
    “Don’t kid yourself, sweetie. It’s a beauty contest, pure and simple.”
    “No. No, it’s not. I mean, the McCray brothers are judging it. Two